Wisconsin Public Service crews have begun to extend a natural gas pipeline from Crandon to the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

WPS Spokesperson Leah Van Zile says the project involves about five miles of both new construction and upgrades to existing infrastructure.

“If we’re looking for any additional expansion beyond the Forest County Potawatomi governmental buildings there, we do need to make sure that our system has enough pressure and is built to the specifications necessary to do any expansions.”

Wisconsin Public Service is flaring natural gas in Three Lakes this week to prepare for some pipeline maintenance.

WPS Spokesperson Leah Van Zile says some parts of the pipeline are being refitted to allow for easier maintenance, and the natural gas needs to be cleared out first.

“Basically what we’re doing is we’ve taken the pressure down as low as we possibly can in that section of the pipeline, the remaining gas is purged out of that pipeline, and burned at the one valve in the Three Lakes area.”